Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in November 2013 and left a trail of destruction. As part of its emergency response, Médecins Sans Frontières distributed materials for reconstructing houses and boats as standardized kits to be shared between households. Community engagement was sought and communities were empowered in deciding how to make the distributions. We aimed to answer, Was this effective and what lessons were learned?

A cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted in May 2014 and included all community leaders and 269 households in 22 barangays (community administrative areas).

All houses were affected by the typhoon, of which 182 (68%) were totally damaged. All households reported having received and used the housing material. However, in 238 (88%) house repair was incomplete because the materials provided were insufficient or inappropriate for the required repairs.

This experience of emergency mass distribution of reconstruction or repair materials of houses and boats led by the local community was encouraging. The use of “standardized kits” resulted in equity issues, because households were subjected to variable degrees of damage. A possible way out is to follow up the emergency distribution with a needs assessment and a tailored distribution. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:285–289)

Prenatal hurricane exposure may be an increasingly important contributor to poor reproductive health outcomes. In the current literature, mixed associations have been suggested between hurricane exposure and reproductive health outcomes. This may be due, in part, to residual confounding. We assessed the association between hurricane exposure and reproductive health outcomes by using a difference-in-difference analysis technique to control for confounding in a cohort of Florida pregnancies.

We implemented a difference-in-difference analysis to evaluate hurricane weather and reproductive health outcomes including low birth weight, fetal death, and birth rate. The study population for analysis included all Florida pregnancies conceived before or during the 2003 and 2004 hurricane season. Reproductive health data were extracted from vital statistics records from the Florida Department of Health. In 2004, 4 hurricanes (Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne) made landfall in rapid succession; whereas in 2003, no hurricanes made landfall in Florida.

Overall models using the difference-in-difference analysis showed no association between exposure to hurricane weather and reproductive health.

The inconsistency of the literature on hurricane exposure and reproductive health may be in part due to biases inherent in pre-post or regression-based county-level comparisons. We found no associations between hurricane exposure and reproductive health. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:407–411)

The primary objective of this exercise was to conduct a full-scale functional exercise utilizing an active-shooter-based scenario to test and evaluate hospital response and coordination with local law enforcement.

A multidisciplinary group, including community partners, formulated objectives in accordance with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program and defined a scenario. A date to conduct the exercise was chosen on the basis of the expected completion of a large section of the new emergency department but prior to its opening for patient care.

The exercise highlighted several strengths, but more importantly, illuminated areas for improvement that might otherwise have been missed in tabletop exercises and smaller-scale drills. Educational opportunities to improve functional skills and protocol were recognized.

Conducting a full-scale functional exercise of an active shooter in a newly constructed emergency department prior to opening for patient care provided valuable insight into areas for improvement while minimizing the impact such an exercise can have on daily operations. Should a similar opportunity arise as a result of new facilities being developed or renovations and maintenance requiring temporary closure, we advise hospitals to consider planning an exercise in the area prior to reopening for patient care. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:522–525)

Public health preparedness is an ever-evolving area of medicine with the purpose of helping the masses quickly and efficiently. The drive-through clinic (DTC) model allows the distribution of supplies or services while participants remain in their cars. Influenza vaccination is the most common form of DTC and has been utilized successfully in metropolitan areas.

We hypothesized that combining influenza vaccinations and child passenger seat fittings in a DTC format would be both feasible and desired by the community. Each driver was verbally surveyed at each DTC station. The project was a combination of patient survey and observation.

In the inaugural 6-hour DTC session, 86 cars were served and contained 161 children, of which 28 also participated in child passenger seat fittings. The median total clinic time regardless of services rendered was 9.0 minutes (interquartile range [IQR]: 6.0, 14.0 minutes). For those who received only an influenza vaccine, the median total time was 7.5 minutes (IQR: 6.0, 10.0 minutes). For those who received both services, the median total time was 27 minutes (IQR: 22.3, 33.5 minutes) with an average of 1.75 child passenger seat fittings per automobile.

This was a pilot study involving 2 different services using the DTC model and the first of its kind in the literature. The DTC was successful in executing both services without sacrificing speed, convenience, or patient satisfaction. Additional studies are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of the multiple-service DTC model. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:647–651)

Environmental health assessments of disaster shelters are critical for monitoring the living conditions of the occupants. However, knowledge and levels of utilization of these assessments have never been estimated in the United States or its territories. We aimed to conduct a cross-sectional survey to ascertain knowledge and Utilization of environmental health disaster shelter assessments.

The State and Territorial Use of Shelter Assessments Survey (STUSA) of environmental health department directors (N=56) was carried out in 2013.

Survey responses were received from 55 of 56 targeted jurisdictions. Of those respondents, 92% of state jurisdictions and 100% of territories reported having knowledge about shelter assessments. However, only 40% of states and 60% of territories reported receiving formal training, and 53% of states and 50% of territories reported having operational procedures for shelter assessments. High levels of knowledge and familiarity and low levels of training and processes for operationalizing assessments were assessed.

Because environmental health assessments may provide useful information in disaster settings, we need to understand the barriers to their implementation. The results of these assessments may also help to validate their usefulness in protecting shelter occupants during disasters. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:11–14)

This article reports on State Defense Forces (SDFs) as tools for providing coordinated, disciplined, trained, and uniformed volunteers to augment civilian disaster response and advance public health.

This report draws on and describes the example of the Texas State Guard’s Medical Brigade and its Operation Lone Star.

Although SDFs have downsides, since they are largely self-sufficient, they are far less expensive and burdensome yet nonetheless effective alternatives.

Future avenues for further inquiry are suggested. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:412–416)

A number of multiple-casualty incidents during 2014 and 2015 brought changes to Korea’s disaster medical assistance system. We report these changes here.

Reports about these incidents, revisions to laws, and the government’s revised medical disaster response guidelines were reviewed.

The number of DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team) staff members was reduced to 4 from 8, and the mobilization method changed. An emergency response manual was created that contains the main content of the DMAT, and there is now a DMAT training program to educate staff. The government created and launched a national 24-hour Disaster Emergency Medical Service Situation Room, and instead of the traditional wireless communications, mobile instant smart phone messaging has been added as a new means of communication. The number of disaster base hospitals has also been doubled.

Although there are still limitations that need to be remedied, the changes to the current emergency medical assistance system are expected to improve the system’s response capacity. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:526–530)

The objective of this study was to explore a log of WhatsApp messages exchanged among members of the health care group Doctors For You (DFY) while they were providing medical relief in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake in April 2015. Our motivation was to identify medical resource requirements during a disaster in order to help government agencies and other responding organizations to be better prepared in any upcoming disaster.

A large set of WhatsApp (WhatsApp Inc, Mountain View, CA) messages exchanged among DFY members during the Nepal earthquake was collected and analyzed to identify the medical resource requirements during different phases of relief operations.

The study revealed detailed phase-wise requirements for various types of medical resources, including medicines, medical equipment, and medical personnel. The data also reflected some of the problems faced by the medical relief workers in the earthquake-affected region.

The insights from this study may help not only the Nepalese government, but also authorities in other earthquake-prone regions of the world to better prepare for similar disasters in the future. Moreover, real-time analysis of such online data during a disaster would aid decision-makers in dynamically formulating resource-mapping strategies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:652–655).

Mosquito-borne diseases pose a threat to individual health and population health on both a local and a global level. The threat is even more exaggerated during disasters, whether manmade or environmental. With the recent Zika virus outbreak, it is important to highlight other infections that can mimic the Zika virus and to better understand what can be done as public health officials and health care providers.

This article reviews the recent literature on the Zika virus as well as chikungunya virus and dengue virus.

The present findings give a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the 3 infections in terms of their characteristics, clinical presentation, diagnosis methodology, and treatment and what can be done for prevention. Additionally, the article highlights a special population that has received much focus in the latest outbreak, the pregnant individual.

Education and training are instrumental in controlling the outbreak, and early detection can be lifesaving. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:290–299).

Pinterest (San Francisco, CA) and Instagram (Menlo Park, CA) are 2 popular photo-sharing social media platforms among young individuals. We assessed differences between Instagram and Pinterest in relaying photographic information regarding Zika virus. Specifically, we investigated whether the percentage of Zika-virus-related photos with Spanish or Portuguese texts embedded therein was higher for Instagram than for Pinterest and whether the contents of Zika-virus-related photos shared on Pinterest were different from those shared on Instagram.

We retrieved and manually coded 616 Pinterest (key words: “zika” AND “virus”) and 616 Instagram (hashtag: #zikavirus) photos.

Among the manually coded samples, 47% (290/616) of Pinterest photos and 23% (144/616) of Instagram photos were relevant to Zika virus. Words were embedded in 57% (164/290) of relevant Pinterest photos and all 144 relevant Instagram photos. Among the photos with embedded words, photos in Spanish or Portuguese were more prevalent on Instagram (77/144, 53%) than on Pinterest (14/164, 9%). There were more Zika-virus-related photos on Instagram than on Pinterest pertinent to Zika virus prevention (59/144, 41%, versus 41/290, 14%; P<0.0001), the effects of Zika virus on pregnancy (27/144, 19%, versus 32/290, 11%; P=0.04), and Zika-virus-associated deaths (4/144, 2%, versus 0/290, 0%; P=0.01).

Pinterest and Instagram are similar platforms for Zika virus prevention communication. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:656–659)

A need exists for public health strategies regarding extreme weather disasters, which in recent years have become more frequent. This study aimed to understand the public’s perception of extreme cold and its related health risks, which may provide detailed information for public health preparedness during an extreme cold weather event.

To evaluate public perceptions of cold-related health risk and to identify vulnerable groups, we collected responses from 891 participants in a face-to-face survey in Harbin, China. Public perception was measured by calculating the score for each perception question.

Locals perceived that extreme cold weather and related health risks were serious, but thought they could not avoid these risks. The significant difference in perceived acceptance level between age groups suggested that the elderly are a “high health risk, low risk perception” group, meaning that they are relatively more vulnerable owing to their high susceptibility and low awareness of the health risks associated with extreme cold weather.

The elderly should be a priority in risk communication and health protective interventions. This study demonstrated that introducing risk perception into the public health field can identify vulnerable groups with greater needs, which may improve the decision-making of public health intervention strategies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:417–421)

The present study aimed to evaluate the long-term psychological effects of the 2011 flood in Thailand on flood victims and unaffected residents, taking into account risk factors such as floodwater levels in the house, period of flooding, and disruption to essential services.

Surveys were conducted in Salaya and Nakhon Chaisri subdistrict, Nakhonpatom Province, from May to June 2012. Approximately 400 households were selected. Measures of sociodemographic variables, exposure to flooding, incidents (eg, disruption of services), and outcome variables (Kessler 10) were recorded.

A total of 407 respondents completed the survey. The results of the univariate analysis showed that possible serious mental illness was approximately 1.5 times higher in flood victims than in unaffected respondents. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, significant associations were found for disruption of essential services and hypertension or diabetes with possible serious mental illness.

Disruption of essential services and chronic illness may affect psychological distress among flood victims. Public health agencies should develop and evaluate strategies to improve risk communication and psychological support for flood victims. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:300–304).

After Hurricane Sandy flooded Bellevue Hospital in New York City, its opiate maintenance patients were displaced and Bellevue’s outpatient program was temporarily merged with the program at Metropolitan Hospital for continuation of care. The merger forced Metropolitan to accommodate a program twice as large as its own and required special staff coordination and adjustments in clinical care.

Physicians, clinicians, and administrators from both institutions participated in interviews regarding the merger.

Issues that emerged in the interviews fell into 4 major themes: (1) organization and meshing of professional cultures, (2) regulation, (3) communication, and (4) accommodations.

Despite these barriers, data collected after the merger showed high retention rates and low rates of positive urine toxicology results. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:531–537)

Chitosan (CS) is currently used as a hemostatic agent in emergencies and in military settings. However, its application is limited owing to its poor hydrophilia at neutral pH. Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) is an important, water-soluble derivative of CS. In this study, we prepared CS and CMCS microspheres (CSMs and CMCSMs, respectively) and evaluated their hemostatic effect.

To prepare the microspheres of various sizes, we used the emulsion cross-linking technique. CMCSMs were also loaded with etamsylate (DIC). Clotting time in vitro and in a hepatic injury model was examined to evaluate the hemostatic effect.

CMCSMs swelled more and clotted faster than did CSMs. CMCSMs loaded with DIC had no effect on hemostasis.

Both increasing material hydrophilicity and expanding the contact area promoted clotting, whereas chemical cross-linking hampered it because of decreased swelling. CMCSMs are promising candidates for the production of effective hemostatic agents. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:660–667)

START (Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment) triage is a tool that is available even to nonmedical rescue personnel in case of a disaster or mass casualty incident (MCI). In Italy, no data are available on whether application of the START protocol could improve patient outcomes during a disaster or MCI. We aimed to address whether “last-minute” START training of nonmedical personnel during a disaster or MCI would result in more effective triage of patients.

In this case-control study, 400 nonmedical ambulance crew members were randomly assigned to a non-START or a START group (200 per group). The START group received last-minute START training. Each group examined 6000 patients, obtained from the Emergo Train System (ETS Italy, Bologna, Italy) victims database, and assigned patients a triage code (black-red-yellow-green) along with a reason for the assignment. Each rescuer triaged 30 patients within a 30-minute time frame. Results were analyzed according to Fisher’s exact test for a P value<0.01. Under- and over-triage ratios were analyzed as well.

The START group completed the evaluations in 15 minutes, whereas the non-START group took 30 minutes. The START group correctly triaged 94.2% of their patients, as opposed to 59.83% of the non-START group (P<0.01). Under- and over-triage were, respectively, 2.73% and 3.08% for the START group versus 13.67% and 26.5% for the non-START group. The non-START group had 458 “preventable deaths” on 6000 cases because of incorrect triage, whereas the START group had 91.

Even a “last-minute” training on the START triage protocol allows nonmedical personnel to better identify and triage the victims of a disaster or MCI, resulting in more effective and efficient medical intervention. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:305–309)

This study examined the association between psychological distress and the risk of withdrawing from hypertension treatment (HTTx) 1 year after the earthquake disaster in the coastal area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE).

Using cross-sectional data from 2012, we studied people over 20 years of age living in Shichigahama Town, Miyagi, on the northeastern coast of Japan, which had been severely inundated by the tsunami that followed the GEJE in 2011. A total of 1014 subjects were categorized as in need of HTTx. Withdrawing from HTTx was assessed by using a self-reported questionnaire.

Subjects with a higher degree of psychological distress (Kessler-6 [K6] score ≥ 13) exhibited a significantly higher risk of withdrawing from HTTx, compared with subjects with a lower degree of psychological distress (K6 score ≤ 12; odds ratio=4.0; 95% confidence interval: 1.3-10.6, P<0.01).

This study indicated that psychological distress is a risk factor for withdrawing from HTTx in post-disaster settings. Our data suggested that the increased risk of withdrawing from HTTx associated with post-disaster psychological distress may underlie the increased prevalence of vascular diseases after the earthquake disaster in coastal areas affected by the tsunami. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:179–182)

Rana Plaza building collapse is the worst industrial disaster of Bangladesh so far. The 9-storied structure collapsed suddenly on April 24, 2013, with more than 4000 people inside. Bangladesh Armed Forces played a key role in the massive rescue operations.

We conducted a cross-sectional study with 423 victims who were treated at a Combined Military Hospital to review the pattern of injuries and management provided.

Middle-aged (35±12.75 years) females (68.32%) were the majority of the victims. Among the injured, 42.35% had soft tissue injury, 22.55% had abrasions, 18.79% had fractures, 3.75% had facial injuries, and 2.5% each had head and abdominal injuries. We treated the injured with various surgical approaches, such as soft tissue debridement (38.84%), fasciotomy (18.79%), amputation (3.75%), and other procedures. We had to refer 8.27% of the patients to different advanced centers. The mortality rate was 5.91%, including 1 volunteer rescuer.

Pattern of injuries and modalities of management needed in an industrial disaster is a valuable experience which can be utilized in preparing to face disasters in the future and beyond. Death of a voluntary rescuer once again warrants the necessity of using a helmet and safety gear during any rescue operation. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:21–24)